A security flaw in the popular document-sharing software, Adobe Reader, could be exploited to seize control of a computer system, according to the software's maker.

Adobe Systems Inc. issued a warning on its Web site Tuesday saying that the flaw affects only the Adobe Reader versions 5.0.9, 5.0.10, which were written for the Unix computer operating system.

A hacker could exploit the security breach by e-mailing maliciously written PDF files. Unsuspecting computer users who open the PDF files would expose their hard drives to attack, according to San Jose-based Adobe.

Adobe posted a fix for the vulnerability on its site, and a spokesman said Wednesday he was unaware of any security breaches resulting from the software flaw, which was discovered by the security defense firm IDefense, headquartered in Reston, Va.

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